Moon watched the clock in her classroom impatiently. One more minute til the bell rang, and it was the weekend. She had plans to head to the roof to take some pictures after school was over and then tomorrow, she, Hau and Sun were going to hang out in Hau'oli City.

3...2...1...Brrrrrrriiiing!

Finally! Moon thought to herself. She rushed to her locker to pack up the books she needed and grabbed her tripod and camera bag containing her DSLR and lenses. She nearly ran up the stairs. She slammed open the door, and then stopped, remembering Gladion's compromise of being quiet. Moon looked around nervously, but didn't see Gladion around. He probably just skipped school today, knowing him. She concluded.

She headed to the side that faced Hau'oli Beach and the ocean, and set down her belongings. She first set up the tripod and then attached the camera to it. She then pulled out her high zoom lens and attached it to the camera. She peeked through her zoom finder to adjust the zoom of the test picture and then took a few, adjusting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO to find the right setting for her pictures. Moon focused on different areas and zoom levels of the beach and ocean. She flipped through the pictures she took, satisfied by multiple. She stretched and climbed onto the ledge of the roof. The wind blew, ruffling her skirt and hair. She felt like she was flying and smiled.

Suddenly, Moon found herself falling backwards and someone's arms wrapping around her as they caught her. Moon glanced up over her shoulder to see it was Gladion.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" He demanded. "It's dangerous to be standing on the ledge like that."

Moon blinked in surprise. Did Gladion pull her down? "I just wanted to feel like I was flying." Moon pouted.

"Yeah, and if you fell, you would have been flying alright." Gladion muttered.

Moon then realized Gladion still had his arms wrapped around her. "Um...?" She blushed a bit and looked down at his hands at her waist.

Gladion realized what Moon was referring to and quickly released her. "Just don't do anything stupid like that again." He looked away with a frown on his face and slightly tinted cheeks.

"I won't." Moon promised. She then cocked her head. "I didn't think you were up here."

"It's not like I always sleep in the same spot." Gladion muttered, still avoiding Moon's gaze.

"I see." Moon laughed a bit, and turned back to her camera to dissemble everything.

Gladion watched Moon. "You are pretty serious about photography," he stated, eyeing her equipment.

Moon paused for a moment and looked thoughtful. "I guess?" She then looked at Gladion suspiciously. "Why, are you planning on stealing it?"

He glared at her. "No."

"Okay, okay," Moon held up her hands in mock surrender. She put her camera and lenses into her camera bag and closed up her tripod. She picked up her bags, expecting Gladion to be gone, but he was still there, just standing. "Well, see you." Moon half waved and headed to the roof exit.

The next morning, Moon got up and ate some breakfast. She then got ready for her outing with Hau and Sun. It was going to be comfortable today, high in the mid-seventies, so Moon opted for a below the knees blue ruffled skirt, a three quarters length sleeve white and blue striped top, and black Converse sneakers. She also grabbed a white wide brimmed hat, since she wasn't usually in a ton of direct sun during the winter months, and she knew she would easily get burned on her face otherwise. She let her mom know she was heading out, and headed to the bus stop to catch the direct line to Hau'oli City Shopping District.

After arriving, Moon doubled checked the location Sun had sent her to meet them at. Moon read to herself the signs on the shops, and soon saw Hau and Sun standing outside. She waved to them, and they waved back.

"Hey!" Hau greeted her.

"Hi guys!" Moon greeted them back.

Sun blushed. "You look nice today, Moon."

Moon smiled at Sun. "Thank you!"

"So, first on the agenda!" Hau announced, standing tall. "Is...drumroll, please..."

Sun did a drumroll my tapping his fingers on her thighs.

"Malasadas!"

"Malasadas?" Moon asked.

"Hmm." Hau nodded seriously, crossing his arms. "Malasadas are a specialty of Alola. They are yeast-leavened donuts that are deep fried and rolled in sugar, and are filled with different flavorings."

"And Hau eats them all the time. You think he'd be three hundred pounds by now." Sun interrupted.

Hau frowned at Sun. "Haha. Anyway, they come in five different flavors, and are a must as an Alolan. So off to the malasada restaurant."

The three headed to the restaurant, which was across the next door to where Moon met up with the two boys. Moon looked at the choices. "Hmm, I can't decide between the sour and dry malasada. What do you recommend?"

"Sun usually gets a dry malasada to match his humor -" Hau began.

"Haha, funny," Sun rolled his eyes.

"- while I get sweet. So why don't you get a sour and you can also try each of ours?" Hau finished.

"Sounds like a plan!" Moon agreed. They went to sit down at a table, and while they waited for a waitress to bring their malasadas out, Sun and Hau peppered Moon with questions about Kanto.

"What was Pallet Town like?" Hau asked.

"Hmm, it's a small town. There's a major research laboratory that provides most of the jobs for people that live in town. My mom was a research assistant for Dr. Oak." Moon replied.

"Ah, so she works for Dr. Kukui now?" Sun asked.

Moon nodded. "Dr. Kukui is actually my mom's cousin in some shape or form."

"That's cool." Hau nodded.

The waitress brought out their malasadas. Sun unrolled his napkin to retrieve his fork and knife, and first cut a piece for Moon. "Hau, do you want a piece as well?" Sun asked.

Hau made a face. "You know me and dry malasadas. Never, nope, will not do."

Moon laughed. Hau was quite the character.

Sun placed the piece of dry malasada on Moon's plate and Hau did the same with his sweet malasada. "Do you want a piece of mine?" Moon asked.

Hau and Sun both shook their heads no. "Consider it a treat as a newcomer to Alola." Sun explained.

The three ate their food. "It's good." Moon commented. "Different, but good." After they finished, they headed out.

"Next up," Sun began. "Is the beach. Obviously, we aren't going to spend long, but I thought you would like to see it."

Moon nodded. "We didn't really have beaches in Kanto, though there were a few shore areas by caves. But not what one would define as a classic beach."

The three crossed the street and headed down the wooden stairs onto the sandy beach. It was crowded, and mixed with young people and families. Children were building sand castles and playing along the shoreline. Teenagers were sprawled on towels and chairs, working on their tans. Some older adults were sitting and reading books. It was an exciting but friendly atmosphere.

"Can I look for a seashell?" Moon asked.

"Sure!" Hau grinned. "We'll help. Any color or shape in particular?"

Moon shook her head. "Just hoping to find a decently sized nice looking one."

"Ok, the mission starts! Goal? Find Moon a top of the line seashell!" Hau saluted her before running off.

Sun headed toward the middle of the length of the beach and Moon stock toward the closest end of the beach relative to where they entered. Moon removed her sneakers so she could step in areas where the tide reached. The cool salt water felt good as it soaked her feet. Above, seagulls were squawking. She crouched down to look for shells. A lot of small scallop shells. Some were broken. Moon found a lavender one that was intact and a bit bigger than the others.

"Ooh, a purple shell!" A little girl was watching Moon. She was in her bathing suit and her hair was up in high pigtails.

Moon smiled at her. "Is purple your favorite color?"

"Yes!" The girl said a bit loudly.

"Then why don't you have this shell?" Moon got closer to the little girl and put her hand up as if she was sharing a secret. "Purple isn't my favorite color anyway."

The girl grinned. "Thank you!" She turned around and ran off. "Mommy! Look what I got!"

Moon stood up and glanced around. She could see Hau from the far distance heading back. Sun still looked like he was searching. Moon stretched her arms and faced the ocean. She would definitely come back soon with a bathing suit and go swimming.

"That was nice of you." A voice said.

Moon turned to her left to see Gladion standing about five feet away. He still had all black clothes on, and Moon mentally sweated at the thought of how warm wearing those had to be.

She shrugged. "Thanks? It's wasn't that great of a shell and purple isn't my color anyway."

Gladion walked closer so he was only a couple feet away. "So what is your color?"

Moon hated that question because she always inadvertently blushed when asked that. Her favorite color was red due to her crush on Kanto's famous athlete, Red. She knew it was a silly reason to like the color red, and everyone always asked why she liked red. Moon noticed Gladion was wearing the same red sneakers he wore yesterday, and panicked, not wanting Gladion to think the reason for liking red was due to him. "Blue," she lied.

Gladion turned to look at the ocean. "Well, you certainly get to see a lot of blue here."

Moon nodded wordlessly, feeling a bit guilty. It was really an innocent question, and she doubted Gladion actually cared what her favorite color was.

Moon looked at him. "Are you just hanging out here today?"

Gladion's face tensed and he frowned. "None of your business."

"Oh." Moon looked down. She felt a mixture of hurt and anger and considered using the same phrase the next time Gladion asked her a question. She felt tears start to form in her eyes. Darn! Moon had a bad habit of crying when she was angry.

"Moon!" She turned to her left to see Sun running towards her. Moon quickly wiped the tears that were in the corners of her eyes.

"What's up?" Moon asked.

Sun didn't miss the moisture still pooled in Moon's eyes. He glared at Gladion. "What did you do to her?"

Gladion stared back. "What are you talking about?"

Moon didn't want Gladion to see her face. She grabbed Sun's hand and tugged on it. "Nothing happened. Let's go meet Hau." She said nothing to Gladion as she walked away, though she could feel his gaze following her.

Sun followed her without argument. After they were farther away, Sun asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes and no. I'm just mad at myself. Whenever I get angry, I start crying. It's a terrible habit that I've been trying to squelch, but it still happens on occasion." Moon sighed.

"What did Gladion make you mad about?" Sun asked. "He's not known for going out of the way to talk to anyone, at least not anyone that isn't part of Team Skull."

Moon shrugged. "It isn't important. It was petty to be honest."

Sun looked at Moon, and decided to not press further. "Ah, well, I found something that I hope cheers you up."

"Wait a minute!" Hau finally reached them, a bit out of breath. "You don't get to show yours first, Sun! We show them at the same time, and then Moon gets to judge."

"It's a contest?" Moon asked.

Hau nodded. "If it can be a contest between Sun and I, it will be. Just for fun, of course. But we keep a tally. Sun is currently ahead by 3 wins." He turned to Sun. "Okay, on three. One, two, three!"

Sun and Hau both showed their shells that they found. Hau had found a conch shell. It was a tan pink on the outside, but a vivid pink on the inside. It was in amazingly great shape. Sun had found a Melon shell that was a peachy color both on the outside and inside.

Sun glared at Hau. "No way you found that. A shell like that sells for at least fifty dollars in a store."

"I did too find it!" Hau argued back. "I never left the beach."

Sun looked at Hau suspiciously. However, Hau looked like he was telling the truth. Sun sighed. "Fine, you win."

"I think they are both beautiful, though. You had much better luck than me." Moon grinned. "Thank you both."

Hau checked his phone. "It's almost one. All this searching on the beach made me hungry. Are you up for lunch, Moon?"

Moon nodded. "The malasada was a good snack, but I'm ready for a full meal. Where to?"

"There's a hip restaurant a couple blocks down that features different foods from all the islands that make up Alola. It's pretty popular. I first thought we could go to a buffet, but I wasn't sure if you were a big eater or not." Hau explained.

"I can eat a buffet if skip a meal or do a late meal," Moon said. "But probably not today."

Hau nodded. "Makes sense. Alright! Off for food."

The three headed into town and walked a block when they encountered some commotion. "Stop them!" A lady yelled.

Suddenly, two teenagers dressed in black and wearing black kerchiefs wrapped around the lower halves of their faces appeared around a corner, barreling down the street, with food in their arms.

Moon quickly looked around, and noticed a city worker tending the plants along side the road. She quickly picked up the hoe that was laying on the side. "I'll return this." She promised the worker. She ran back over, and once the teenagers got closer, she stuck out the hoe, tripping them both. They fell forward, the food scattering in front of them. A few adults reached the scene, and prevented the teenagers from leaving. Moon noticed they has skulls emblazoned on their tops.

"Whoo! Good thinking, Moon!" Hau cheered.

The one teenager glared at Moon. "Are you following us on purpose, or something, yo?"

Moon blinked. "Do I know you?" She asked.

"Yo, really?" The one sighed. He groaned, when the police arrived and forced him to stand up. The officer nodded to Moon. "Thank you, miss." The police handcuffed the teenagers, and led them to their cars.

"Well, that was interesting." Sun commented. He than tilted his head, a look of confusion passing on his face. "Why did the one ask if you were following them?"

Moon chucked nervously. "Ah, I happened to meet up with some Team Skull members a few nights ago after school, and they demanded money from me."

"Whaaaaaat?" Hau and Sun shouted in unison.

"Are you okay?" Hau asked while Sun asked at the same time "Why didn't you tell us?"

Moon nodded. "Nothing happened. I had no money on me anyway, and Gladion happened to be there, and he told them to back off."

Hau frowned, his forehead crinkling. "Why was Gladion there? Did he also threaten you for money?"

Moon shook her head. "He wasn't with them when they asked for money, but appeared a bit later."

Hau made a face. "That still seems suspicious to me. I don't trust Gladion at all."

Sun nodded. "I would stay away from Gladion and Team Skull when you can."

Moon smiled. "I definitely don't want any unnecessary trouble."

"Well, shall we continue? I'm really hungry now, and I don't want any more roadblocks!" Hau complained.

Moon and Sun laughed. The three continued to Nanab's. There was a short line waiting to get a table. Sun put their name on the list, and they sat inside until they were called. Moon glanced up at the decor by the entrance. Bright florals decorated the frames of the door and windows. Sunlight streamed in from sun roof panels. Posters of people who visited the restaurant and where they came from were peppered along the walls. Moon looked to see if anyone from Kanto had visited. She spotted Gold, an international professional poker player, originally from New Bark Town in Johto, had visited the restaurant. There was a family with young kids from Saffron City that visited, but Moon didn't know who they were.

"Sun?" The hostess called out. She had green hair tied in two long pigtails and a friendly smile.

"Here!" Sun stood up and so did Moon and Hau. The three headed to a table and the hostess gave them menus. Not even a minute later, a waiter arrived. He had dark skin and hair and an athletic build.

"Good afternoon, my name is Kiawe and I'll be your server today. Are we celebrating any sort of special occasion?" Kiawe asked.

"Sure! Moon's new in Alola so we're giving her a welcome party!" Hau grinned.

"Hau!" Moon whined, feeling embarrassed.

"Well, that's a very good reason to be out!" Kiawe smiled broadly. "Your drinks today are on the house! What can I get you?"

"Lemonade please!" Hau said.

"Coke, please." Sun quipped.

"Hmm, strawberry lemonade?" Moon asked.

"Got it!" Kiawe walked away.

"How old do you think the waiter is?" Hau asked quietly.

Sun shrugged. "High school? Probably a senior."

Hau smiled slyly. "Hmmm. Moon, why are you blushing?"

"Eh?" Moon pressed her hands to her cheeks, and they felt a bit warm. "I'm not blushing!"

Hau laughed. "You're fun to tease, Moon."

Sun frowned a bit. "So that's her type?" He muttered to himself.

"Hmm, did you say something, Sun?" Moon asked.

"No!" Sun quickly replied.

"Here are your drinks. Are you ready to order?" Kiawe asked, placing the drinks down.

The three placed their order for their meals. As Kiawe flipped his writing pad closed, Hau asked, "Hey, Kiawe, are you in high school?"

Kiawe smiled. "I'm in my first year of college, actually. I'm attending U of A at Hau'oli."

"Wow, that's cool! What are you studying?" Hau asked.

"Biology, though my goal is to become a physical therapist." Kiawe replied.

Sun looked interested. "My mom's a nurse practitioner. Would it be a job with Hau'oli City hospital?"

"Well, maybe. My family lives on Akala Island, so my first choice would be finding a job there."

Moon smiled. "That's cool that you have a clear goal."

Kiawe chuckled. "Thank you. Anyway, let me get your orders in."

Hau looked impressed. "Smart dude. Maybe you could go after him once you become legal." He stuck his tongue out as Moon lighted slapped his arm.

"Nah, he's too old, and I'm sure he has all the girls over him." Moon sighed.

Hau snuck a peak at Sun and then grinned devilishly. "So, what's your type then, Moon?"

Moon blushed. "Why are you asking?"

Sun was giving a look at Hau. Hau just ignored it. "Oh, no reason. Just curious."

Moon looked thoughtful. "I don't think I have a type. As long as they are nice, I guess."

"Well, do you have any idols you like?" Hau pressed.

Moon pulled out her cell phone and opened her web browser. "I like this one. He's a pretty famous athlete in Kanto. His name is Red." Moon showed them a picture of Red she found on Google.

Sun and Hau looked at the picture. Hau grinned at Sun. "Hey, just cut your shaggy mane some, and you could almost be a clone." He elbowed Sun.

Sun's cheeks were tinted pink, but he rolled his eyes, acting nonchalant. "I'm not cutting my hair."

Moon did another search. "A lot of girls liked this other athlete, though, and he and Red are considered rivals of sorts." She showed them a picture of Green.

Hau made a face. "I guess? That's some spiky hair though."

"Well, his grandfather is a pretty famous researcher, too. Dr. Oak."

They continued to chat about various things, and a few minutes later, their meals arrived. They munched on their meals and shared portions with each other. Moon was stuffed by the end.

"That was really good!" Moon told Kiawe when he brought their check.

"I'm glad to hear that." Kiawe nodded.

Moon gave ten dollars towards her meal, and Sun and Hau also added their payment in. Sun handed it to Kiawe. "Thank you very much," Kiawe smiled. "Have a good rest of your day."

The three headed out of the restaurant. Hau was checking his texts, and upon seeing one, he made a face.

"What's wrong?" Moon asked.

"I know that expression. Your grandpa needs something?" Sun asked.

"Yeah. I'm sorry guys." Hau looked apologetic.

Moon shook her head. "No, do what you need to do."

"I'll text you guys and I'll see you in school on Monday!" Hau headed off.

Moon and Sun walked back towards the shopping district. "The Mayor's wife died a couple of years ago. Hau's dad travels a lot for business, and his mom is a doctor so she has strange hours sometimes. So when the Mayor needs something, it usually falls on Hau," Sun explained.

"But Hau takes in in stride, it seems, so that's good." Moon commented.

"Yes." Sun agreed. He then looked embarrassed. "So...did you still want to hang out or..?"

Moon shrugged. "I have nothing else to do. Can we maybe just walk though the mall briefly? I have some questions about clubs at school."

Sun smiled. "Sure."

As they walked around the mall, Moon asked what clubs and interests Sun was involved in. She found out Sun was on the soccer team during the spring and summer months and was on track during the fall. Moon admitted she wasn't much of an athlete, though she liked to dance for fun.

"Maybe next weekend, we can take a ferry to Akala Island and you can bring your camera with you. They have some great trails." Sun suggested.

"That sounds good!" Moon agreed enthusiastically.

Sun glanced at his phone. "It's almost four. I promised my parents I'd be back by four-thirty. We're going to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins today for a birthday party."

"Sounds like fun." Moon commented.

Sun made a face. "My cousin is only turning two. And her older brother is only five."

Moon laughed. "Well, you better get going so you aren't late."

"I'll probably text you if I get bored." Sun told her.

"No problem."

"Hey Moon?" Sun was blushing.

"Yeah?" Moon prompted.

Sun leaned in and gave her a light peck on her right cheek. "I'll see you Monday." His face was beet red as he ran off.

Moon stared at his retreating figure. She brought her hand up to the area of her cheek that Sun kissed. It suddenly dawned on her what happened, and she blushed. Was that normal here in Alola, giving parting kisses? She knew in Kalos that is was standard to give a kiss on each cheek when greeting friends and family. Hau didn't give her one, but he was in a hurry. Moon slowly walked back to her bus stop and waited for a bus to arrive. If it meant more, what did she do? Moon liked Sun, but right now only as a friend. She knew it could always change and evolve into something more. But Sun didn't explicitly say he liked her, but Moon heard confessions of love didn't exist in Alola. Entering into relationships were more similar culturally to Unova.

Moon decided to not dwell on it anymore. She would just see what happened. That's what she told herself before she and her mom moved here.

Moon glanced to her right and saw a familiar blonde haired girl walking along the street looking lost. Moon walked over to her. "Hi, Lillie!"

Lillie looked surprised but quickly recovered. "Good afternoon, Moon. How are you today?"

"I'm well. I had spent the day with Sun and Hau."

"Hau is in our homeroom, right?" Lillie asked.

"He's kinda hard to miss." Moon added. She noticed Lillie looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh, I have a terrible sense of direction. I needed to pick up something for home from the mall, but I'm lost and can't find it."

"I was just there! I can walk you there." Moon said.

Lillie looked grateful. "I would appreciate that."

Moon and Lillie headed to the mall. Once they reached the entrance, Lillie turned to Moon. "Thank you so much."

"No problem," Moon replied. "Will you be okay now?"

Lillie nodded. "I believe so."

"Okay, well, see you Monday." Moon waved good-bye.

Moon headed back to the bus stop. She just missed her bus and now had another twenty minutes before the next one arrived. She sighed, and pulled out her phone to check her Instagram account. As she opened the app, suddenly a hand deftly grabbed her phone away from her. Moon quickly turned, expecting Team Skull, but saw it was Gladion.

"So that's your username." He commented.

"Hey! Give my phone back." Moon demanded.

He handed it back to her without argument. "I was curious about your photography."

"You could have just asked," Moon muttered. She then remembered Hau and Sun's warning, and decided to ignore Gladion.

"What was going on earlier, at the beach?" Gladion asked.

"None of your business," Moon snapped sarcastically.

Gladion looked briefly surprised, then smirked. "Is that kid with the shaggy hair your boyfriend? He was trying so hard to be chivalrous."

Moon continued to ignore him.

"Hmm." Gladion mused.

In the next moment, Moon found her chin propped upward and Gladion's lips on hers.